The NBA may have to rethink the timing of its annual draft. Not the month, but a tweak to the hour the picks start coming off the board.
Paris is six hours ahead of New York, so French basketball fans eager to witness history had to stay up into the wee hours of Thursday morning, June 27, to see France join the United States as the only countries with three players selected in the top 10 picks of an NBA draft.
And as the first round was a coming to an end, a total of four Frenchmen had been drafted: Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Tidjane Salaun, and Pacome Dadiet.
The question going into Wednesday night’s draft was whether Risacher or Sarr would hear his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as the No. 1 overall pick and become the second straight Frenchman to be taken first overall.
A year ago, it was the San Antonio Spurs choosing Victor Wembanyana, who went on to become the league’s rookie of the year.
This year, the Atlanta Hawks made Risacher that player.
Washington took 7-footer Sarr at No. 2, making a second straight draft the Wizards selected a player from France. Then the draft really took on a decidedly French flavor with the Charlotte Hornets helping France make history by selecting Salaun at No. 6 overall.
France made it a quartet when the New York Knicks drafted Dadiet as the 25th pick overall. Dadiet, who turns 19 in July, is a developing player at 6-8 who can finish at the rim. He is also a versatile defender who has been honing his game in Germany.
The Sacramento Kings selected 6-2 guard Devin Carter of Providence 13th overall, while the Los Angeles Lakers took sharpshooting Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht 17th.
The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers did not have first-round picks, having previously traded them away.
The second and final round of the draft is set for Friday.
Carter, who played his final two collegiate seasons at Providence after having begun his career at South Carolina, averaged 19.7 points per game last season while making 37.7 percent of his 3-point attempts.
The 6-5 Knecht was a first-team AP All-American who averaged 21.7 points per game and hit 39.7 percent of his 3-pointers for the Volunteers. After playing a season of junior college ball in Colorado, Knecht went on to Northern Colorado before spending this past season at Tennessee, where he was the Southeastern Conference player of the year.
Two collegiate players from the state of California were first-round selections. The Cleveland Cavaliers took 6-6 University of California forward Jaylon Tyson 20th overall, and the Utah Jazz grabbed 6-3 University of Southern California guard Isaiah Collier No. 29.
Risacher (pronounced Ree-zah-shay) said the draft results mean a lot for all of France and the country’s booming basketball pipeline to the NBA.
“I know that a lot of France stayed up all night to watch this,” Risacher said.” That’s amazing for French basketball, and I’m so happy to be a part of something special for my country. I think it’s going to be more players who will be able to get to the NBA and do something great. I’m really proud to be a part of it.”
The timing couldn’t be better for France, which is hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The country that produced Tony Parker, who won four NBA titles with the Spurs, is a true gold-medal threat thanks in part to Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, this season’s NBA defensive player of the year.
Hornets General Manager Jeff Peterson said France truly loves basketball, and the NBA now is reaping rewards of a generation influenced by players such as Parker, Evan Fournier, and Nicolas Batum.
“It’s a very, very strong country when it comes to basketball,” Peterson said. “So, I just think this younger generation, they’ve grown up and they’ve seen it, and they’ve loved it. And those guys have been great role models for them.”
Salaun said French players have improved, with their impact now being felt in the world.
“It’s just the beginning,” Salaun said.
Purdue center Zach Edey, the two-time AP national player of the year, went ninth overall to the Memphis Grizzlies.
By Teresa M. Walker
